Madam, – Dr Constantin Gurdgiev, adjunct lecturer in finance at Trinity College Dublin and a respected academic, has been employed by the Irish Nightclub Industry Association to assess their proposals for “reforming” the system of closing times in Dublin (“Owners say later club hours will bring jobs”, July 15th,).
Dr Gurdgiev’s independent report makes no reference, good, bad or indifferent, to the effect of these “reforms” on the men, women and children who must live in close proximity to the nightclubs who recruited him to conduct this research.
His report states: “The proposed reforms [sic] will generate an additional 1,650 full time equivalent jobs, representing an increase of 37 per cent”; there is no attempt to assess the economic effects of these “reforms” on the lives of thousands of people suffering from sleep deprivation due to the noise emanating from these establishments.
I do not say that every nightclub in Dublin, or in Ireland, will have a negative impact on the economy. But there is strong international evidence that low-frequency noise (created by the so-called Super Woofer) has turned nightclubs across the country into boom-boxes that have become a major source of noise pollution.
The Super Woofer is a relatively new apparatus and was first developed for films such as Earthquake; I have used the technology myself to demonstrate the full power of an Apollomoon-rocket. These low- frequency sounds are transmitted through walls and the structure of buildings, and can be heard within buildings a city block away from the source.
Fortunately, Trinity College Dublin has a team of scientific researchers who are particularly expert in this problem, which is now a worldwide “green” issue, so I would like to think that there would be another report from TCD before any decisions are made. In the meantime, perhaps the nightclub industry might spend more time addressing its relationship with its neighbours. – Yours, etc,